Transcranial non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been widely applied in basic research and clinical intervention in the past few decades. It modulates cortical excitability through varies combinations of current form, stimulation position, strength, frequency, duration and intervals. In this review, protocols of different types of NIBS and their aftereffect are introduced. Moreover, evidences in physiology, pharmacology and behavior response are provided to support the effects of NIBS are plasticity-like effects because of their common mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. This is further confirmed by experiments on small animals at the cellular level.
Keywords: NIBS; Plasticity; Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS); Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS); Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES).
Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.